Action or inaction? Food and nutrition in Australian local governments

Abstract

Objective: To determine the current level of activity of Australian local governments in twenty-nine food and nutrition action areas and whether the level of activity had changed between 1995 and 2007.

The role of Australian local governments in creating a healthy food environment: an analysis of policy documents from six Sydney local governments

“…Also, state planning acts – which set out objectives and policies implemented by LGs – generally do not allow for preventative health to be considered in planning decision making 7 . Further, some LGs do not view food as a political priority, while others lack the financial and technical capacity for policy development 8–10 . Accordingly, existing studies suggest that local government engagement in food and nutrition policy‐making is highly uneven 5,8–10 …”

“…In recent years, state and federal governments have delegated their activities downwards, expanding LG’s operations 11 . LGs possess a range of functions and powers that could be used to leverage access to healthy food, for example, land use planning, or providing communities with funding and education 8–9,12 . Variation in the powers of local governments between states enables them to act as laboratories for testing innovative approaches that can be adopted at state and national levels 13 .…”

“…7 Further, some LGs do not view food as a political priority, while others lack the financial and technical capacity for policy development. [8][9][10] Accordingly, existing studies suggest that local government engagement in food and nutrition policy-making is highly uneven. 5,[8][9][10] However, Australian local governments could make a significant contribution to improving diet-related health, despite constraints on their powers.…”

“…11 LGs possess a range of functions and powers that could be used to leverage access to healthy food, for example, land use planning, or providing communities with funding and education. [8][9]12 Variation in the powers of local governments between states enables them to act as laboratories for testing innovative approaches that can be adopted at state and national levels. 13 Local governments' closeness to their communities gives them a unique ability to identify local areas of need and to respond with targeted measures.…”

Engaging South Australian local governments in the development of healthy eating policies

“…The contribution local governments can make in this area has been well recognised; however, there remains a paucity of local government policies to promote healthy food choices or change the food environment beyond the monitoring and enforcement of food hygiene and food safety-related activities [9][10][11] or food security. 12 There are 68 local governments (also called 'councils') in SA, with jurisdiction over the state population of 1.68 million people, supported by their peak body, the Local Government Association of South Australia (LGA).…”